A Record a Week: Giants of Jazz Collection - Johnny Dodds

SIDE 1.
CANAL STREET BLUES
DIPPER MOUTH BLUES
SNAKE RAG
SOBBIN' BLUES
LONESOME BLUES
PERDIDO STREET BLUES
GATE MOUTH

SIDE 2.
TOO TIGHT
MIXED SALAD
I CAN'T SAY
MAD DOG
SOMEDAY SWEETHEART
SALTY DOG
SKID-DAT-DE-DAT

SIDE 3.
OH DADDY
THE BLUES STAMPEDE
WILD MAN BLUES
MELANCHOLY
S.O.L.
WOLVERINE BLUES
COME ON AND STOMP STOMP STOMP

SIDE 4.
AFTER YOU'VE GONE
JOE TURNER BLUES
WHEN ERASTUS PLAYS HIS OLD KAZOO
ORIENTAL MAN
HOT POTATOES
BLUE CLARINET STOMP

SIDE 5.
BUCKTOWN STOMP
WEARY CITY
BULL FIDDLE BLUES
BLUE WASHBOARD STOMP
GOOBER DANCE
INDIGO STOMP
FORTY AND TIGHT

SIDE 6.
PIGGLY WIGGLY
WILD MAN BLUES
MELANCHOLY
25TH AND DEARBORN
RED ONION BLUES
GRAVIER STREET BLUES

The earliest recorded days of jazz remind me of Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes from Star Wars, in that the songs from that era all sound like they might be the same one repeated with different rhythm or tempo. The songs, as I have previously alluded, mostly sound like the instrumental soundtrack to early movies (with some lyrics strewn in) or oldschool jukeboxes in diners.

The songs on this record start off featuring Dodds in a group that also had a very young Louis Armstrong (possible crossover from this Armstrong record). These were groundbreaking recordings, as they were the first recordings of African-Americans doing original 'black music'. Any earlier records were white groups, because as sad as it is to say, that was what was acceptable at the time.

It is not until the second record comes in that the songs more prominently feature Dodds and his clarinet. Also, as these songs are from years later, the sound has started to evolve from the 'talkie' style of the early 1900's jazz. This more progressive sound is where I start to take more of an interest. Perhaps recording techniques improved so you could begin to hear subtleties you couldn't previously, or perhaps the style gained a bit of substance (in my opinion, that is).

It is always exciting to me to have my eyes opened to an instrument that I had not thought much about, something I used to find a challenge to do. Also, I used to think of such instruments, unjustly, as the ones that kids got stuck with if they weren't there on instrument selection day in 8th grade music class.

Dodds, although he did not possess the instrumental versatility of a Louis Armstrong, he nonetheless played the clarinet with mastery.